Motor vehicles having one or more electric drive motors are becoming increasingly common. By way of example, these vehicles can be Electric Vehicles (EV), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHV) etc. A chemical battery comprising a plurality of cells is commonly provided as an energy source for the electric drive motor(s). The battery can be charged by regenerating energy while the vehicle is travelling, for example using regenerative braking techniques. Alternatively, the battery can be charged by connection to a mains electrical system, either by a wired connection or an induction (wireless) connection. A dashboard display may notify the driver that charging is taking place. However, when the user is outside the vehicle, the user is provided with little or no indication that charging is taking place. In the case of a wired connection, the user may need to check that the mains source is switched on. This can be more problematic in the case of an induction connection as there is no physical connection between the charging station and the vehicle. If, for example, the vehicle is not correctly aligned with the charging station, the rate at which the vehicle is charged may be reduced.
It is against this background that the present invention has been conceived. At least certain embodiments of the present invention set out to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the shortcomings of prior art systems.